BRUNSWICK – In a game of big plays, it was the biggest of them all.

Brunswick quarterback Ralph Mims found Phillip Warren on the right flank, and the senior co-captain did the rest, scoring a 62-yard touchdown with 7:28 remaining the game as the Dragons downed Gardiner, 28-20, in Pine Tree Conference semifinal football action at Alumni Field on Friday night.

The win puts No. 2 Brunswick (9-1) into the Eastern Class A and Pine Tree League finals next weekend at No. 1 Bangor.

“We were running waggle all day,” said Warren. “I noticed when I was going in front of the line (that) their linebackers were watching me and following me outside. That time I went through the line with a fake and went behind the line, and they didn’t see me. I told Ralph to watch me, ’cause I had figured out the defense by then.”

This win meant more to the Dragons than just a trip to the regional finals. Brunswick’s lone loss came at the hands of the Tigers (8-2) in the opening game of the season.

“This is great,” said Mims. “We prepared all week for this game, and my coach has been up for this game since the day we lost to them.”

“I’m speechless,” said Brunswick coach Dick Leavitt. “This is new territory for our kids. That loss in Week 1 allowed us to take a good hard look at ourselves.”

Leavitt said that getting up early on Gardiner was important, and his team executed that plan. Mims found Kevin Scully for a 25-yard score with 3:45 left in the first. The junior, who was double-teamed, went up for the ball for a 6-0 Brunswick lead.

The Dragons extended the margin midway through the second quarter when Warren surged up the middle for a 1-yard score. Warren broke free for 34 yards earlier in the drive.

Gardiner finally got on the board after the intermission with a 53-yard drive that occupied nearly five minutes. Craig Toulouse gained 21 yards on a pass from Seth Wilkins, and Justin Lebourdais ran for 19 more. Lebourdais finished it off with a 1-yard rush to make it 14-6.

The Dragons took a 21-6 lead into the fourth frame when Mims hit Garrett Masse for the 11-yard score.

“We are a very high character team,” said Gardiner coach Matt Brown. “We felt even in the second half that we could come back and win this game.”

Gardiner answered the call not once, but twice.

The Tigers closed the gap to 21-14 on a trick play. Using the halfback option, Nate Munzing found Seth Antognoni for the 47-yard bomb.

Following Warren’s big play to post what proved to be the winning score, Lebourdais closed the scoring with a 3-yard run with 3:33 remaining.

Gardiner did have one final chance, but Warren snuffed it out with a sack of Wilkins.

“Phil was the difference,” said Brown. “And there isn’t anyone that deserves it more than Dick Leavitt. They are going to be hard to beat.”

pmullen@sunjournal.com

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